One of the biggest nightmares that I have personally experienced with make up is smudged eye makeup. It’s not only embarrassing walking around with this type of makeup but it makes it seem like you don’t know what your doing with makeup. I have encountered such scenarios many times and have walked around in public not knowing what people are looking at. I finally started to realize the many reasons why my eye makeup smudged off throughout the day, If its not your mascara that is smudging, then it could be your eyeliner or eyeshadow.
So, why does eye makeup always smudge ?
- Not using an eyeshadow primer
- Not using a lash primer
- Not using a waterproof formulation
- Not setting the makeup
- Rubbing your eyes
- When cleaning up any touch ups use oil free makeup remover
- Avoid using fiber mascara
- Sneezing after applying mascara
1. Your Not Using An Eyeshadow Primer
The first reason why your eye makeup maybe smudging off is because you may not be wearing an eyeshadow primer under your eyeshadow. Eyeshadow primers help your eyeshadow to last longer, stay in place and look brighter all day, It gives you the most of your eyeshadow. Eyeshadow primers allow your eyeshadow to adhere to the skin, and forces it to stay in place all day, to which it also prevents any creasing of the eyeshadow.
It’s important to remember that an eyeshadow primer is usually not suitable for glitter eyeshadows, it;s better if you use glitter eyeshadow primers. This type of an eyeshadow primer is more sticker and is formulated for glitter particles to stick to the eyelids. This type of an eyeshadow primer will prevent your glitter eyeshadow from getting all over your face.
A great tip to know if you don’t have an eyeshadow primer is to use a concealer. When you us a concealer as a primer apply it all over the eyelids, this will help cover any dark circles along witch allow your eyeshadow to last slightly longer. It’s best to apply a powdered foundation on top of the concealer that is sitting on the eyelid, this will allow your eyeshadow to blend smoother on the eyelid and last a lot longer throughout the day.
2. Not using a lash primer
Do lash primers work?
Sometimes, the reason why our eye makeup will smudge is because of the formulation of the mascara. I have written an article on how to prevent your mascara from smudging that will certainly help you. Sometimes when the mascara is too watery its bound to smudge quicker because it will take longer to dry on the eyelashes therefore, causing it to get all over the eyelid.
Another reason why your eye makeup will smudge is because of the mascara, your mascara may be clumping and when it flakes off it will smudge on the eyelid. To avoid these two mishaps its best to use a mascara primer before applying your mascara.
Mascara primers will help your mascara stay on longer, give your lashes more thickness and prevents your mascara from smudging and clumping off. It’s worth using a lash primer for the many benefits it has including the fact that it can prevent smudging from occurring.
Skin type being too oily
If your eyelids are oily this is a definite reason why your eye makeup will smudge. The oils that are secreted from the skin will break down the eye makeup on the eyelids, this will make your eyeshadow crease, your eyeliner to smudge and your mascara to smudge.
Oily eyelids can even make waterproof formulations break down and cause it to smudge. It’s best to set your eyelid and area with either a translucent powder or a powdered foundation. The translucent powder and the powdered foundation will help absorb any oils around the eye area. Translucent powders should be used around the eyelid and around the bottom lash area.
Eye creams do contribute to the eye area aswell because it is oily so its best to apply your eye cream and allow the eye area to absorb the moisture before applying any type of powders.
3. Your Not Using A Waterproof Formulation
Another reason why your makeup will smudge is because of the formulation. Waterproof formulations are more long lasting versus a regular formulated eyeliner or mascara. Our eyes tend to water through out the day which can eat away at our makeup however, waterproof formulations can last longer because it’s water resistant. The great thing with waterproof formulations is that once it settles on the eyelid or the waterline it wont budge most of the time.
The same thing goes for waterproof mascaras, it can last through tears without budging. Waterproof formulations are a must in order to prevent your eyeliner and mascara from smudging. Waterproof formulations come in liquid eyeliner, pencil eyeliner, gel eyeliner and mascaras. Therefore, always check the labels of your eye makeup products before buying them.
4. Your Not Setting The Makeup
Another reason why your eye makeup will smudge is because it was not set. By setting your makeup it will seal it into place, this one step is essential for your makeup to stay on your eyelids and on your waterline. This works particularly well if you wear eyeliner.
In order for your eyeliner to last all day use an eyeshadow that is the same color as the eyeliner to set it in place. I personally use two layers of eyeshadow to set my eyeliner. By adding this to your eye makeup routine it will keep your eyeliner looking vibrant and sealed into place. This is a technique that will prevent your eyeliner from smudging through out the day.
5. Don’t Rub Your Eyes
Another huge factor as to why your makeup is probably smudging through out the day is if you rub your eye. Most of us have the tendency of touching our face constantly and even rubbing our eyes. This will only make your makeup move all around the face causing it to smudge. Therefore avoid rubbing and touching the eye area because this will make your eye makeup deteriorate overtime and look like a nightmare.
6. When Cleaning Up Any Touch Ups Use Oil Free Makeup Remover
When applying mascara, we all have that tendency to get it on your upper eyelid and brow bone. When cleaning up the mascara with a Q-tip don’t use an oil-based makeup remover, this will only allow it to breakdown the eye makeup through out the day. I personally have made this mistake, and this only made my eye makeup deteriorate through out the day.
Oil based makeup removers will always break down any type of makeup making it smudge and then easier for you to remove therefore, look at using oil-free eye makeup removers to apply to your Q-tip to fix up any small mistakes. I personally find that oil-free micellar water works the best to fix such mistakes.
7. Avoid Using Fiber Mascara
Fiber mascara can make your eyelashes look lengthened and long. It usually requires a first coat of fibres that sit at the tip of your eyelash giving it that extension for length. When an additional coat of mascara is applied on top of the fibres it seals in the length which gives the lashes automatic length. Although this is a flattering look, it’s a good idea to keep in mind that the fibers will most likely flake and smudge throughout the day. Try avoiding using these types of mascaras because they are prone to flaking and smudging.
8. Sneezing After Applying Mascara
This sounds crazy! But its true sneezing is one of the reasons why your makeup may look smudged. The reason being is because if your mascara is freshly applied to the lashes and is slightly wet and when you sneeze you press the top and bottom lid together tightly and you will most likely find some of the product under your eye area. This has happened to me many times until one day I discovered myself sneezing and witnessed it in action.
Sneezing isn’t something we can avoid but its something that we should be cautious of after you have applied the mascara only because it will definitely end up somewhere you don’t want it to. If this does happen, then dip a clean Q-tip in an oil-free makeup remover and gently wipe off the mess.
A basic tutorial on how to prevent your eye makeup from smudging.
Step 1: Apply all your skincare including eye creams around the eye area and allow it to absorb for approximately 15-20 mins. By giving your skin care time to absorb into the skin it will make your eye area slightly less oily. Its always good to give your skincare time to settle into the skin so you still get the benefits of it. Otherwise applying makeup to the skin right away can make the skincare can change the formulation.
Step 2: Apply a translucent powder all over the eyelid with a fluffy eyeshadow brush. Make sure to get translucent powder all over the top lid and under the bottom lash line. This will help absorb all oils that sits on the surface of the skin.
Step 3: Apply an eyeshadow primer all over the eyelid. This step is essential especially if your applying eyeshadow all over the eyelids. If your applying eyeshadow as an eyeliner on the bottom lash line then apply it there as well.
Step 4: Apply a waterproof eye liner to the top eyelid and to the waterline. If it’s liquid eyeliner then apply it only to the top eyelid. Pencil and gel liners can be used on the waterline.
Step 5: Set the eyeliner. Find an eyeshadow that is a similar color to the eyeshadow and use an angled brush to set the eyeshadow. This will ensure your eyeshadow will stay in place and will not smudge or budge during the day.
Step 6: Apply one coat of lash primer to the lashes. This will help your mascara stay on longer and prevent it from clumping and smudging.
Step 7: Apply 1-2 coats of mascara on top of the lash primer
Step 8: Clean up any mistakes by dipping a clean Q-tip in an oil-free makeup remover such as micellar water.
In conclusion, when it comes to your eye makeup smudging there are several ways of preventing it from smearing all over the place. The first thing to remember is that if the skin is oily or has any oily products on it this will deteriorate the makeup. It’s best to keep the eye area matte by using a translucent powder so it absorbs any excess oils. Applying a base for eyeshadows is a must because this ensures that the eyeshadow will last longer and stay in place all day.
It’s wise to also look at makeup formulations since there are various eye makeups out there. Make sure its long lasting and waterproof because our eyes can water through out the day allowing the makeup to fade. Set the eye makeup this will make sure that the makeup wont budge. Lastly, when cleaning up any last-minute makeup mishaps use an oil-free makeup remover this will prevent your makeup from deteriorating throughout the day without you knowing.